June 2 George Floyd protest news

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not discuss the unrest sweeping the US in a phone call Monday. 

Asked in a conference call with reporters if the issue was raised during the conversation, Peskov said: "No, this is not a question of bilateral Russian-American relations."

Pressed on whether protests over police violence in the US might bring attention to similar incidents in Russia, Peskov said he saw no parallels between the two countries. 

George Floyd's death was an abuse of power and must be renounced, a top EU diplomat said at a briefing in Belgium.

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union, said all societies should remain vigilant against the use of excess force and deal with such incidents quickly.

"We here in Europe, like the people of the United States, we are shocked and appalled by the death of George Floyd. And I think all societies must remain vigilant against the excess of use of force and ensure that all such incidents are addressed swiftly, effectively and in full respect of the rule of law and human rights," Borrell said.

He added: "We support the right to peaceful protest, and also we condemn violence and racism of any kind, and for sure we call for a de-escalation of tensions.” 

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is investigating the alleged assault of a Wall Street Journal reporter covering the George Floyd protests by members of the New York Police Department, a spokesman for the office told CNN.

"We are actively monitoring social media and other sources to identify investigative leads into claims of excessive force and we strongly encourage New Yorkers to share them with us."

WSJ reporter Tyler Blint-Welsh tweeted Sunday evening that NYPD officers "hit me in the face multiple times with riot shields and pushed me to the ground. I was backing away as request, with my hands up. My NYPD-issued press badge was clearly visible. I'm just sitting here crying. This sucks."

CNN has reached out to the NYPD, Blint-Welsh, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Attorney General's office for comment regarding the alleged assault.

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District attorney to investigate alleged assault of WSJ reporter by NYPD officers during protests

Hours after George Floyd's brother asked protesters to abstain from violence, the Minneapolis site where Floyd died last week was being treated as a sacred memorial.

The subdued scene was in a sharp contrast with what was taking place in other cities across the country overnight where protesters were undeterred by curfews, enforced in an effort to curb the unrest that has erupted in the week since Floyd's death in police custody. 

Floyd's family as well as many mayors and governors support the protests but have condemned the looting and violence that has led to hundreds of arrests nationwide.

Protesters have also been met with tear gas and rubber bullets by some police departments, though there have been examples of police joining demonstrators.

Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, spoke to those gathered in support of his brother Monday, delivering a simple message for those committing violence.

"He would not want y'all to be doing this," he said.

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George Floyd's family calls for calm as protesters undeterred by curfews

"We ... deserve the chance to grow and to learn and to love others. And to be a person with a heartbeat, with a breath to take," says 17-year-old Ajani Carr.

He is one of four men from three generations who have shared their experience of different stages of the civil rights movement in America in a powerful video for CNN. They explain what they think has changed, and what progress still needs to be made.

"I don't feel afraid, I don't live my life with fear, but I do live my life with caution," says Peniel Joseph, 47.

Ed Whitfield, 70, recalls the activists involved in the civil rights movement in the 60s, such as Sammy Younge Jr, who was murdered in Selma, Alabama for using the "whites-only" restroom.

"Shot and killed, nothing was done," says Whitfield. "So there's nothing new about this part."

Mike Mosby, 32, adds: “You would think it’s 1965, you know, like we just got out of segregation and now we’re trying for civil rights ... That’s what it feels like.”

“I swear it’s like we’re stuck in a time capsule.”

Watch the video here:

Americans have been protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police for days on end in dozens of cities throughout the United States.

While tensions between police and demonstrators have heated up in many places, some officers have shown solidarity with the movement by hugging protesters, praying with them, mourning with them, and taking a knee to honor Floyd.

In Atlanta, Georgia, a line of police officers holding shields during a protest Monday near Centennial Olympic park kneeled in front of demonstrators.

In another image, an officer wearing a gas mask, helmet and vest was seen embracing a demonstrator in a hug on the fourth day of protests in the southern city.

The Denver Chief of Police Paul Pazen joined in with demonstrators Monday, linking arms with attendees.

In New York, Chief of Department of the New York City Police, Terence Monahan, embraced a demonstrator during a protest in his city Monday.

On the west coast, protestor Kevin Welbeck of Cre8 The Change shook hands with a California Highway Patrol officer during a protest in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles.

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Some police officers are showing solidarity with protesters in several US cities

A New York Police sergeant responding to a break-in at a pawn shop was struck by a black sedan, according to NYPD Detective Adam Navarro. The sergeant is in serious, but stable condition with a leg and head injury, NYPD Lt. Thomas Antonetti told CNN. 

The driver fled the scene and no arrests have been made, police said. 

According to Navarro, the incident occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m. ET.

More than 200 people were arrested last night at New York protests, mainly in Manhattan, police said.

Brooklyn and Bronx had some activity, but Manhattan had the bulk of the arrests, they added.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are investigating two shootings involving officers that occurred overnight on Las Vegas Boulevard, CNN affiliate KVVU-TV said.  

The shootings took place near Circus Circus and downtown by the federal courthouse, police told the station. 

An officer was shot on the 2800 block of Las Vegas Boulevard South, near Circus Circus, police told KVVU-TV.  

A large police presence was also at the University Medical Center.  

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak acknowledged that his office had been notified of the incidents.

CNN has reached out to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and to University Medical Center.

In the years leading up to George Floyd's death with his neck beneath the knee of a Minneapolis policeman, at least 58 people lost consciousness after the city's officers put them in neck restraints, according to a CNN analysis of use of force data from the police department. 

Officers used neck restraints on 428 people since 2012, and 14% lost consciousness, the data showed. That means the procedure, which is restricted or banned in many large police departments around the country, was used an average of about once a week in the city over that time period.

About two-thirds of the people placed in neck restraints by Minneapolis officers were black -- in a city where black residents make up 19% of the population, according to Census data. 

Use of force experts told CNN that the procedure that officer Derek Chauvin used -- pressing his knee into the back of Floyd's neck for several minutes, as Floyd groaned that he couldn't breathe -- wouldn't qualify as a proper neck restraint under the city's policy and procedure manual. 

But the Minneapolis department does allow officers to compress "one or both sides of a person's neck with an arm or leg, without applying direct pressure to the trachea or airway," according to a section of the manual that is marked as last being updated in 2012. It calls the method a "non-deadly force option."

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Two-thirds of people put in neck restraints by Minneapolis police were black, department data shows